Is The Fashion Industry Actually, Properly Becoming More Diverse?

The conversation surrounding diversity in fashion has reached fever pitch: every brand, magazine and designer is now aware of its responsibility to represent a breadth of cultures and identities. So where was this inclusive spirit on the catwalks of London Fashion Week earlier this month?

For the first time, the exclusive event opened its doors to the public and appeared more accessible than ever. But from the models to the FROW, there was an unmistakable absence of diverse body types. Despite notable exceptions like RIXO and Simone Rocha, London Fashion Week didn’t reflect fashion’s new era of inclusivity.

‘We had no bookings for London Fashion Week this year,’ say the founders of Zebedee Management, the UK’s first modelling agency to exclusively represent people with disabilities. Since launching in 2017, this has unfortunately been the norm: ‘LFW doesn’t seem very interested in disability diversity at the moment… We are continually making calls to designers, brands and casting teams but these very rarely turn into bookings.’

‘London is one of the most beautifully diverse cities in the world, so why doesn't London Fashion Week reflect this?’ says the model Kelly Knox. Born without her lower left arm, Knox campaigns against the media’s oversight when it comes to representing people with disabilities. ‘We want to see ourselves represented on the runway, in advertising campaigns, in fashion magazines. Fashion is for every body.’

‘I did see a mix of races at the London Fashion Week shows I attended, but I didn’t see diversity in terms of size, non-binary models, age, or disability,’ says Tamara Cincik, CEO of Fashion Roundtable. She’s also concerned that the show venues are not accessible to people with disabilities – it took ten minutes for her and a wheelchair user to negotiate with security and then make their way through a warren of backstage areas just to reach their seats at one show. At the same time, she saw a guest navigating a spiral staircase on two sticks: ‘I can’t see how we’ll have disabled models in shows until we have venues which are easily accessible.’

So, is policy the answer? In collaboration with fashion-industry leaders and activists, Cincik is currently working on a policy paper for the UK government: ‘I hope it will shift the mindset by making clear recommendations of what representation looks like and the value that inclusion brings.’

But according to Roland Mouret, the responsibility lies with each designer to ensure their catwalks are fully diverse: ‘It is the designer’s decision – we don’t need rules to make decisions and if our decision shows our weakness let it be.’ Mouret’s latest show stood out with its size-, race- and gender-inclusive casting. ‘For me the purpose of a show today is to showcase the values of the house and designer,’ he explains. ‘I want to translate our reality onto the catwalk, I don’t think it’s relevant today to not showcase diversity in every aspect of it.’

In the past year, European brands (such as Prada, Chanel and Gucci) have launched diversity schemesand hired officers for this very purpose. But their newfound commitment to inclusivity wasn’t yet visible on the catwalks of Milan and Paris Fashion Week. Although shows now appear more ethnically diverse, there remains little to no representation when it comes to size, ability, gender or age.

However, Paris Fashion Week saw two remarkable exceptions— Christian Siriano and one of fashion's most exciting new labels, Marine Serre. As young designers, both are renowned for embracing diversity. Siriano’s Pop Art inspired collection was modelled by an entirely diverse cast of models and Serre’s post-apocalyptic show featured pregnant women, mature models and a tiny Pomeranian to boot.

When fashion month kicked off in September it appeared more diverse than ever, with several New York Fashion Week shows showcasing models of all body shapes, abilities, genders and ethnicities. Take for instance Chromat’s tenth anniversary show where the spectrum of bodies on the catwalk was almost as wide as the rainbow colour palette. The model line-up featured the amputee Mama Cax, breast cancer survivor Ericka Hart, and body positive activist Tess Holliday wearing a white patchwork gown stamped with the words ‘sample size’, a clapback at the fashion industry’s infamously restrictive sample size of 4-8.

Likewise, Tommy Hilfiger’s collaboration with Zendaya was praised for its inclusive spirit. Models of all body types and races graced the catwalk in a 70s themed block party extravaganza at the Apollo theatre in Harlem. This diverse casting included a pregnant Ashley Graham, the Muslim supermodel Halima Aden and 67-year-old Harlem native JoAni Johnson styled in a white tuxedo. Ten pieces from the see-now-buy-now collection even feature adaptations for people with disabilities— such as the polka dot midi dress with magnetic buttons and elasticated waist recently sported by Selma Blair.

But when it comes to inclusivity, Savage X Fenty is the jewelin New York’s crown. In the past year Rihanna’s lingerie brand has garnered adoration for its fearless pursuit of diversity and unapologetic mission to make all bodies visible. Although phones and cameras were banned during their latest NYFW show, the event is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. From Laverne Cox to the Hadid sisters, global audiences watched in awe as trans models and amputees starred alongside plus-size models.

Following the high-octane show, one Twitter user remarked that Rihanna had staged more than a fashion show, it’s ‘a whole festival of women’s power, body acceptance, positivity and inclusivity’. As the diametric opposite of an old school Victoria’s Secret show, ‘flawless’ uniformity was rejected in favour of fierce individuality. What’s more inclusive brand values are incredibly lucrative— Savage X Fenty has seen huge financial growth and the company recently secured a further investment of $50 million.

In the run up to New York Fashion Week, the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) published a letter reminding designers about the importance of diverse casting: ‘Please remember to promote diversity and inclusion, on and off the runway. American fashion can lead the path.’ In fact, last March The Fashion Spot found that across all four fashion weeks, New York was the most diverse of the fashion capitals.

Fashion has the potential to de-stigmatise and celebrate all bodies by including them in the narrative of beauty. But while the fashion industry appears more inclusive than ever, the catwalks of London Fashion Week prove it’s still a work in progress.

Here are some of the best street style looks during London Fashion Week: